This Woman's Work
by babyklaus
Summary: "Henrik. His name is Henrik." Caroline raises her baby boy on her own but what happens when he grows older and starts to wonder where his father is? Will Caroline do what's best for her, to forget and never speak of the man she once loved or will she do what is best for her son, bring her old love back and become a family?
1. Prologue: His name is Henrik

**A/N**: English isn't my native language so be nice!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but I wish I did because if I did this ship would have sailed a long time ago.

* * *

She was astonished at the sight of the baby boy she held in her arms. He was awake but not crying despite the fourteen hours of excruciating pain they both had been in. She was exhausted and sweat was dripped from her face.

She didn't care. All she could care about from this moment on was the baby. Her baby.

"Hey there," She said in a soothing voice.

She couldn't stop smiling. He was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, with dark blonde curls on his head and deep blue-green eyes that looked up at her with wonder.

She felt someone come closer to her hospital bedside. But she didn't look up to see who, her eyes was locked on her newborn love. "He is a beautiful baby boy, Miss Forbes." It was her doctor.

"Yes...He is," She said without taking his eyes off from him.

"Have you decided on a name yet?" The doctor asked. She didn't answer right away. She had been unsure of what to name her baby for nine months. She had considered naming him William or Bill after her late father but right now nothing felt as right as the one name that had popped up in her mind the instant she saw him.

"Henrik. His name is Henrik."


	2. Chapter 1: Where is my dad?

She groaned and turned to her side as the alarm kept blasting out that awful tune. She was sure its purpose wasn't to wake her up every morning but to make her deaf for the rest of the day. If she could sleep for five more minutes she would live happily ever after, at least until tomorrow morning when she would repeat this routine again. She slowly opened her eyes adjusting to the bright light and looked at the watch on her bedside table.

seven-fifteen a.m

She better get up now or Henrik would be late for school and she would be late for work and upset her boss once again. Being late for work had been a habit of hers for years now. Somedays her boss would understand because she had children herself. She knew mornings where the toughest time during the day but she wasn't a single mom like Caroline.

Caroline loved being a mom. Henrik was the best thing that had ever happened to her. But she had to admit, sometimes it would be nice to just stay in bed all day and catch up on her sleep. She couldn't do that though, not just because of Henrik but because of her work.

She got up and jumped in the shower before she got dressed and went to the kitchen to get breakfast ready. It was Friday which meant pancakes and scrambled eggs. She began with the pancakes as she heard Henrik walking out of his room. "Good morning, sweetie," She said with a tired smile when he walked up to the kitchen table fully dressed to gather all his books that laid on the tabletop.

"Morning, mom," he said as he put all his books in his school bag.

"You have a math test today, right?" She asked him and when she saw the scowl on his face she couldn't help but smile even more. "Come on you're going to do great. You have been practicing all week!" She cheered at him.

The scowl eased a little. "Yes I know but i'm nervous."

Now she couldn't help but feel sorry for him. She had looked over his homework once and she didn't understand anything of it. She was a well-educated woman who didn't understand her 11-year-old son's math homework. Had she chose the right school or was she just dumb?One thing she did know was multiplication.

"Like I said, kid. You're going to do great. I will help you practice some more." The pancakes was ready and the eggs only needed some spices.

"Mom. The test is today."

"I know. Doesn't mean you can spend the time you have left to prepare yourself, it sometimes helps the nervousness, you know," She smiled at him as she handed him his plate of food. "So tell me, what is seven times eight?"

"56."

"nine times three?"

"27."

"See? you got this!"

* * *

"Learn a lot and good luck on that test," She bent down so she was eye level with her son. "I will finish work a little earlier today, I was thinking we could eat out?" Henrik's eyes brightened.

"Okay but only if I get to choose the restaurant, I really didn't like that weird fish and rice food we ate the last time," He pretended to barf at that.

"Do you mean sushi?" She giggled softly. "I thought you said you liked it?"

"I lied." he said coyly with a smile forming on his lips.

"What have I told you about lying, you little smug bastard?" Caroline said jokingly.

He looked so happy with his smile and that made her happy. She would do anything for him, as any mother would. He was the light of her life and to see him smile meant everything to her. She smiled back at him. "Could we go for some ice cream afterwards?"

"Yes. Of course," She bent towards him to place a kiss on his cheek.

"MOM!" He shrieked.

"Right. Sorry. Can't let those girls see that the school's coolest kid have a soft spot for his mother." She beamed at him.

"I'm not cool, I'm just smart." He said with confident.

With that he ran across the schoolyard in the direction of the entrance. He turned around to wave at his mom before he entered the school. She waved back before she looked down at her watch.

eight-fifty p.m

That meant she had ten minutes to get to work before she might or might not get a lecture from her boss, depending if she had a rough morning with her own kids or not.

Lucky for Caroline her job wasn't that far away from Henrik's school and if she hurried she would be there on time.

She silently prayed to some almighty god that she will.

* * *

"You never told me how the test went?" She said while chewing her lasagna. God bless Henrik for picking italian for dinner. If there was something she almost loved as much as her son it was italian food.

Henrik didn't answer. All she could hear was the sound of her fork against her plate and other guests at the restaurant. A waitress was taking an order from a family not far away from their table. Caroline looked up at Henrik.

He wasn't paying any attention to his mozzarella and pepperoni pizza nor his mother. Instead he was watching the family who had just gotten their orders. It was a woman, probably the mother. She wasn't very much older than herself. She had dark brown locks hanging around her shoulders with a black top on. She was trying to make one of her children sit still at the table. She had three of them, still in their kindergarden-age. She remembered when Henrik was around that age. He couldn't sit still to save his life. Always on his feet and wanting to touch everything he could see. I guess that is what it's like, when you recently have learned how to walk and use your arms and hands.

She then noticed the man sitting across from the mother. She figured that must be the father. He was talking with one of the kids, a boy that looked to be the oldest of the three. It looked like the father was telling him a story, he used hand gestures to demonstrate something that made the boy laugh with him.

She looked back at her own son. "Henrik?"

He didn't hear her. He was too caught up with the other family, especially the father.

That was when it hit her. Henrik wanted that. He wanted someone that could tell him stories just like that man did to his son. He needed someone he could look up to, not just his mother but a father.

It had always been the two of them. Henrik and Caroline. They were their own little family. It was supposed to be just them. Sure, there were other people in their life that they considered family. Like her own mother, though she didn't visit often because of her work. But there was Stefan, Elena and Bonnie. They were really close and Henrik loved them just as much as Caroline always had. Stefan was a great role model for him and they had a lot of common interests, like the fascination of classic cars, history and art.

Art was something Henrik had a huge passion for. He always wanted to visit one of the city's museum to explore their new exhibition or he wanted to be outside to take photographs or paint. Art was also something Henrik had in common with his father. But he didn't know that himself. She never spoke of his father. He didn't even know his name. Caroline was afraid all those memories she had tried to forget over the years would come back to her if she spoke of his name. She knew she was being selfish, despite the fact that his father had been a liar and left her all on her own he was still Henrik's father.

"Henrik?"

He finally looked at her. "Sorry, mom," He said with half a smile.

He then told her how the test had went and what else he had done during his day at school but he kept trowing glances at the other family.

* * *

"Here you go." Caroline handed him a cone of his favorite chocolate and strawberry ice cream. In her other hand she held her vanilla ice cream as she paid. They sat down at a park bench to eat. It was late but it was Friday and New York so people were still out. They sat there in silent for a while. Caroline looked down at her son who was focused on eating his ice cream before it could melt over his fingers.

"Mom?" He said suddenly.

"Yeah, kid?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

She already knew what was coming. He had never directly asked the question to her but she knew he had been wondering about it a lot during the years. She had seen him looking with longing at his friends' families and strangers they would see on the streets. Once, a couple of years ago he had come home from school with a homework assignment. He had to fill out a family tree and write one sentence about each family member that would describe them. She had talked about her mother who lived back in Mystic Falls still working most of her time as the town's sheriff. She had spoken greatly about her daddy who she loved very deeply and cherished until the day he had died. She also talked about her friends who she insisted should have a spot on the tree, at least on the side because they were so close to their little family that they were considered family members. But then they had gotten to the part where he had to fill out his father's side of the tree.

That was when it got silent. She didn't know what to say, mostly because she didn't know much about his father's family. She did know he had siblings. Three brothers, or was it four? And a younger sister. She had only met the oldest brother and his sister for a brief moment many years ago. He had never spoken about his parents, only mentioned them from time to time when she would ask. So there wasn't much to say about his side of the family, much to Henrik's disappointment.

So how would she react to what was coming her way? She guessed she had herself to blame, she could at least have mentioned him once in a while instead of choosing to completely ignore the subject! But she was trying to protect him from all that she had been through once. She was afraid of what would happened if she told him about his father, would he want to meet him? She didn't know where he was and she definitely wasn't ready to find out about it yet to speak about him. But she had to. For Henrik, she had kept it away for too long and to be able to move on she had to let go, right?

She looked down at Henrik and nodded.

"Where is my dad?"


	3. Chapter 2: You look ravishing

**_I want to thank everyone who followed, reviewed and favorited (let's pretend that's a word) this story, even those who took their time to just click on it. It means a lot!_**

* * *

_He was stroking her blonde locks gently as they laid together, her head on his chest and his arms around her. She traced his tattoo on his arm with her fingers. She could hear his heartbeats against her ear and the way he caressed her body gave her chills as the heat radiating from him was warming her up. She had never felt more safe in her life. "I love you," she said softly to him. Caroline could feel a smile forming on his lips against her forehead. _

_She looked up at him. He locked his eyes with hers as he said, "I love you." _

_This. _

_This was all that Caroline wanted. Him. Together with her in bed. Forever. _

_"I have to go," He suddenly said. _

_Go? Where? To the bathroom? _

_"Okay, could you get me some ice cream out of the freezer, all of our previous activities really got me hungry," she said with a smile. "I don't think I've ever burned as many calories before." He didn't smile back but he kept his gaze at hers. Caroline could see that he was thinking deeply to himself. He stood up from the bed and began collecting his clothes that they had thrown on her floor only moments ago. _

_He began dressing as he said, "I have to leave the city," His eyes never leaving hers. _

_She began to worry as she sat up. "What's going on, Nik?" It had felt like a split second ago when he had walked into her apartment and pushed her up against her bedroom door without any words, only leaving tender kisses all over her body. Each kiss representing his love for her, so to say that she was confused was an understatement. "What do you mean leave the city?" _

_"There are things you don't know about my family and I. Somethings that have been haunting us for a very long time." _

_"What? So you have to leave the biggest city in the world because you have some family problems?" She couldn't believe this, everyone had problems with their family, doesn't mean they move out of the city to get rid of them! "Can't you just move to another apartment or something?" _

_"I'm afraid my family problems are a little more complex than what you would find in an ordinary family," he broke their gaze as he pulled on his henley shirt over his head. _

_"Well... Then let me come with you." He stopped his motions at that and she realized he was now fully dressed. He looked at her but she couldn't figure out what he was thinking. Her friends had always said he was hard to read, they never knew how he was going to react to certain things but to her, he always wore his heart on his sleeves. Except now. _

_He sat down next to her on the bed and put his arm around her. Caroline buried her face in his neck. Klaus took his other hand and intertwined it with hers. She was used to this. Caroline and Nik. Together. Always intertwined with each other. How was it going to be like if he really left without taking her with him? _

_She forced herself to push those thoughts away. Maybe he wants her to come with him. But could she leave everything for him? Her friends, her job and her life that she had built in the city, but Nik was a huge part of her life as well. She had imagined them getting married and having children. _

_"I can't let you do that, love," He said, interrupting her thoughts. "I don't want you involved in any of this." She didn't know how to respond. She was stubborn so maybe she could try to convince him to stay or take her with him but he was very stubborn too... _

_"So you are just going to leave?" _

_"You know I wouldn't leave if I didn't have a choice," Klaus said. He pulled them apart a few inches so he could lower his face to look at her. She looked back at him, nervous, as he said, "I love you, Caroline. And this isn't a goodbye," He took his both hands and placed them on either side of her neck. He stroked her gently over her cheeks with his thumbs. "I will call you as soon as I have settled down," He placed a kiss on her forehead and with that he was gone. _

* * *

It had been 11 years and he still hadn't made that call.

"Can we talk about something else now, please?" Caroline begged.

It was Saturday night – a week after Henrik had asked her the question. She was having a girls night with her two best friends, Elena and Bonnie. They had been watching a movie but turned it off as the girls had noticed something was up with Caroline. She had been distant the entire night, and the entire week. She had been too caught up in her thoughts to notice that her friends was trying to have a conversation with her about which actor in the movie were the hottest. Caroline was always the one who talked the most during discussions like this. But tonight she didn't even know what movie they were watching.

So Caroline had told them. She told them of what Henrik had asked and how she had responded – or not responded.

She didn't know where his father was so she couldn't exactly say much about it. But she had began to wonder herself. Where was he? Should she try to find him, for Henrik? But how could she found a man who disappeared out of her life more than a decade ago?

"Sure," Elena said as she gave her best friend a sad smile. Bonnie was sitting next to her on the floor with a guilty expression on her face. But Caroline was to busy thinking about not thinking about Klaus to notice.

"Kat's moving into her new apartment tomorrow," Elena said to change the current subject.

Katherine. Elena's sister. Twin sister, to be exact. Caroline had known her all her life, as long as she had known Elena, but to Caroline she was nothing more than Elena's cute but self-centered boy magnet and Mystic Falls' self-proclaimed bitch. Elena and Katherine were the exact opposite from each other. In high school Katherine hadn't exactly been one of the honors students, she skipped a lot of classes to hang out with her friends behind the school's cafeteria. Either to smoke or sleep because they had been up all night drinking. She failed a lot of classes due to this and didn't even attend their graduation. Not that it mattered, she still wouldn't have gotten her diploma. Elena, however, was the perfect daughter that Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert could have asked for. She had straight A's and she never got in trouble. She had even won prom queen on their senior prom (much to Caroline's distress).

But even if they were so different from each other they were very close, they hadn't always been close. In fact, as kids, they were nothing close to friendly to one another. Once, when they were still in kindergarden they had fought because Katherine had stolen Elena's doll, shattered its head between a door and flushed the remaining parts of the body down the toilet. Elena had of course revenged her, taken one of Katherine's dresses (a pink one with green butterflies that she had adored the most) and laid it down in the mud outside of their kitchen window to step on it. There wasn't much left of it when she was done.

As they grew up and began middle school they kept fighting but this time over which boyfriend Katherine had stolen from Elena, who used Katherine's makeup kit as vengeance. It wasn't until junior year when their younger brother Jeremy had died in a car accident that they began to bond.

He was trying to impress on a girl, Vicki, as he had been driving a stolen car. It was dark and Jeremy who had no experience on driving had driven off a bridge. The doctor's had said they had found water in his lungs. He was still alive when he went off the bridge but since none was with him or saw what happened he had drowned to death. It was a devastating event and everyone in Mystic Falls were mourning the loss of the young Gilbert boy. The two sisters had dealt with their grief in different ways, but stuck together.

Katherine turned to booze for comfort while Elena absorbed herself in school and her grades.

After high school they both went separate ways but they still kept in touch, everyday. Elena went with her best friends to New York and Katherine had always been on the move since the day she left Mystic Falls. She had been everywhere, from Venice to Moscow and even Bangkok. Now she was coming to New York and according to Elena, she was planning to stay.

"She told me she had met someone in New Orleans and apparently he's _the one_," Elena said and rolled her eyes. "You know, she said the same thing about Aaron Whitmore in fifth grade."

Caroline looked at Bonnie at that. They both remembered Aaron Whitmore. It had been Elena's first boyfriend and the first boyfriend Katherine had stolen from her.

"Anyways, Kat and her newfound love are having a housewarming party next saturday and we're all invited!" Elena cheered at her two friends.

"That sounds like fun," Caroline said. But she was unsure if she actually meant it or not. A party hosted by Katherine, you never know where that might lead. "But I'm not really in the mood for a party."

"Oh, come on, Care! This is what you need." Bonnie said. "It will take your mind off things."

"I guess you're right... Do you think I can bring Henrik? I can't really afford a babysitter right now."

"Well, she was very specific that no kids are allowed but I'm sure you can sneak him in anyway. She will be too busy with herself to notice him, or anyone else for that matter."

And with that they all laughed as the door to her apartment opened and in stepped Henrik with Stefan behind him. "Hey!" Caroline cheered at them. She stood up from the couch and walked over to Henrik to give him a hug, "I missed you."

"Mom," Henrik looked at her. "I only went to the movies."

Caroline laughed, "I know, but you know me, I miss you every second that I'm not with you. Now go brush your teeth and head straight to bed."

"What?! But, _mom_, can't I stay up a while and watch TV, please?" Henrik begged.

"I'm sorry, sweetie but it's late and you need to sleep."

After dealing with Henrik's tantrum for what felt like forever she finally got him into bed. She sat on his bed and watched him sleep. He had been distant the first few days after that Friday he had asked her the question. He got disappointed when she didn't give much of an answer to him. But days later he had finally began to act like himself. Caroline was scared that he would ask more as time went by and the less she could answer the more he would remote himself from her. She bent down and kissed him softly on his forehead before she whispered, "I love you," She turned the lights off in his room and went to the kitchen to clean up from their girls night. Her friends had offered to help but she had insisted they should head home, it was already late and she knew Henrik would never go to bed as long as they were still there.

As she saw the pile of dishes that laid on her table she decided to finish it tomorrow, she was too tired to be cleaning this late.

* * *

Bonnie could feel how the nights were getting colder as the time passed by. How could it have been only weeks ago that she strode around on the streets in New York with only shorts on? Now she could barely step out of the apartment at night without her scarf tightly tied around her neck.

She walked beside Elena as they made their way to their apartment. Elena was talking about what she was going to wear on her sister's party, Bonnie barely listened as her thoughts were too occupied about the previous events of the night. Stefan had taken a taxi cab to his brother's apartment that was not within walking distance from Caroline's place as hers and Elena's was.

Bonnie had tried to persuade Elena and Stefan into moving out of their current homes and move in together. They had been an item for years now so it didn't make any sense as to why they were still living apart (also because they spent almost every single living hour with each other). But Elena refused to move out of their shared apartment. Bonnie figured it was because she didn't want to leave her best friend to fend for herself. The rents on New York City apartments were high and Bonnie still had a debt to pay off from all her years in med-school. As soon as she has paid it off she would kick Elena out of their apartment so she and Stefan could live together, but mostly because she was getting really annoyed on walking in on them in the bathroom... or on the kitchen sink.

Earlier tonight when Caroline had been talking about Klaus, her ex-boyfriend, a memory had flashed in her mind. A memory of something that happened years ago that she hadn't told anyone. But she couldn't hold it inside of her anymore.

She stopped in her tracks. Elena turned around and stopped talking about a red satin dress she had bought a few weeks back that would be perfect for a housewarming party as she noticed that Bonnie wasn't walking beside her anymore. "Bonnie, are you OK?" She looked at her friend.

"Yes... No. Actually– uhm, I have to tell you something," Bonnie bit her lip before she opened her mouth again to speak, "I have to tell you something that I have never told anyone, and you can't tell anyone, Elena, especially not Caroline!"

Elena could only nod in response of the sudden outburst of her friend.

"A few years ago Klaus came by our apartment looking for Caroline. I told him she had moved from the city. And when he asked where, I told him it didn't matter because she had forgotten all about him and probably didn't want anything to do with him anymore," Bonnie paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "He asked me if she had met someone and if she was happy and I said 'Yes'."

At that moment Bonnie had only wanted to protect her friend. Protect her from ever getting hurt again. She didn't trust Klaus. But now she was starting to realize what she had done. Henrik had to grow up without a father, one that he wanted so desperately, because of her. Well... somewhat because of her.

Elena looked at her, she knew what Bonnie was thinking. "Oh, Bon bon," She stepped towards Bonnie and gave her a hug.

* * *

The week went by as it always did for Henrik and Caroline.

Henrik had school. Caroline had work.

Caroline had been really busy at work this last week, she was working as an assistant for the editor-in-chief in one of the most successful fashion magazine in the US. Which meant that she had to be very successful to her boss as well. The New York Fashion Week was coming up and a lot of preparation had to be done before that. Lucky for Caroline, she was a great planner and always knew what had to be done. It was many hard working hours, but she knew that if she kept working hard she might get a promotion.

She still had time for Henrik, they would spend most evenings together, eating takeout or one of Caroline's failed attempts at spaghetti and meatballs. She would help him with whatever homework he had that day and at the end of the day they would watch a movie or TV together.

Henrik loved one of the shows on TV with zombies in it. Caroline knew she probably shouldn't let him watch it but Henrik was brave – just like his– _never mind_.

It was Saturday afternoon and Caroline was standing in front of her mirror in her bedroom. She was applying makeup as she sang along to the radio that was on at the back of her room. Tonight, she had chosen to wear a blue halterneck dress that wasn't too tight but still fitted perfectly on her body and her hair was in her ordinary locks. Henrik walked in, "How about this?" He asked. Caroline turned around to look at her son. She had asked him earlier to find something appropriate to wear for a housewarming party but really she meant a party held by Katherine which she knew had a few rules regarding clothes. He had walked out of his room with jeans and a t-shirt with the ninja turtles on. She had instantly sent him back to find something else.

Now he was standing before her with a white shirt on and a green bow tie with black pants on. She remembered she had gotten him that outfit a few months ago for a school dance. She had wanted him to look his best on his first time on the dance floor.

"Perfect," She smiled at him.

Henrik and Caroline met with their friends outside of their apartment house. They had planned to take a cab together to Katherine and her new boyfriend's place. "You all look wonderful tonight, ladies, and look at you, you handsome young man!" Stefan beamed at them. Henrik smiled at him as Bonnie and Caroline thanked him with hugs. Elena dragged him towards her and they started making out.

"Well, somethings just never change around here, don't they?" Caroline heard a voice behind her. She turned around to see Damon.

Well, isn't this just perfect.

"Blondie! I'm surprised to see you out tonight, What? No diapers to change or breastfeeding tonight?" Damon smirked at her.

"Who invited the plague?" She said as she stomped her heels down the ground and turned back to face her friends.

"I did," Elena said guilty as she broke apart from Stefan's lips. "Katherine told me it was just going to be a small gathering among her friends, not more than ten people. So I figured bringing Damon wouldn't hurt much."

Caroline shot Elena an annoyed face. She loathed Damon, for no particular reason other than that he had been infuriating since the first day she had met him when he was picking up Stefan from kindergarden. She didn't get it, why would he want to hang out with them all the time when he's so much older than them? Plus, none liked him. Except Elena and Stefan who only liked him because they knew how to deal with him. _I just have to deal with him tonight, and if I'm lucky enough he will find another girl to annoy instead of her_, she thought to herself.

* * *

"OMG! Hey guys!" Katherine squealed as she opened her door to her sister and friends. She welcomed them into the apartment, or maybe penthouse was the right word for what Caroline was seeing before her eyes. It was enormous. She could feel her eyes growing bigger the more she could take in of the sight. The walls were never ending and the windows were just as tall. She swear she could see the entire of Central Park. How could Katherine afford this after all her traveling she had done for years. She hasn't even had a steady job during all this time!

She held Henrik's hand in her own when she heard him say "Wow," to himself as they stepped further into the brunette's new home.

"I have to say that I actually missed some of you! I have so much to tell you, we haven't seen each other in a while and so much have happened since." _Oh wow_, Caroline thought to herself, here it comes. If Katherine starts talking about herself now she probably won't stop until after midnight.

"But first, I would like you to meet my new man," She smiled big at her old friends. "He's very handsome, very classy, _very sexy_, He's all I ever dreamed of and best of all – He's loaded!"

"_Katherine!_" Elena exclaimed to her sister.

"Don't worry, sis, that's not the only reason why I'm with him. He's _great_ in b–"

"Ugh, please. I don't want to know," Elena interrupted her before she could finish the sentence.

Katherine kept smiling as she took Elena's hand and led them to the living room. "I don't think Katherine knows what 'small gathering' means," Bonnie whispered beside Caroline. She smiled at that and heard Stefan laugh behind them. "Or she's just bad at math."

Bonnie was right. It was more than ten people in the apartment. It was crowded. Caroline didn't know how many could fit into this place but she was sure it was more than a hundred people in it at the moment.

They suddenly came to a stop and Katherine let go of her sister's hand as she placed it onto a man's hand who was standing with his back against them. The only thing they could see was that he was wearing a grey suit and that he had brown hair.

Katherine turned him around, "Elijah, this is everyone. Everyone this is Elijah."

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you. And you must be Elena," He gestured at Elena before he turned his gaze towards the rest of the group and came to a halt when his eyes met Caroline.

_Oh my god_, Caroline thought. She knew him. She had met him once before. It was on Klaus' birthday. She knew he loved birthdays so to surprise him she had baked a perfect vanilla cake and bought him the most beautiful leather bracelet she could find. She had taken a cab to his apartment and when she knocked on the door. A dark haired man had opened. He had introduced himself as Elijah Mikaelson. Klaus' brother.

God! She should have asked Elena the name of Katherine's new boyfriend before she came here.

"Miss Forbes," He said.

Everyone's eyes turned to her, all asking the same thing. But it was Katherine who said it, "You know her?"

"Yes," Elijah said calmly. Much to the contrary of how Caroline would have spoken. If she had the ability to. "We have met once, a long time ago," before anyone could say anything more he noticed the child standing close to Caroline. "And this is..?"

Caroline cleared her throat before she tried to speak as calm as Elijah had, "It's my son. Henrik. Say hello, Henrik."

"Hi."

Elijah bent down and gestured for Henrik to take his hand in his to shake. "Hello, young man."

"You brought your kid to my party," Katherine said frustrated, she hadn't noticed him until now. She turned to her sister, "Elena, I thought I made it clear? No kids allowed."

"Don't worry, dear. I'm sure he won't be a problem." He looked up from Henrik to Caroline who only could nod her head in response. She was still in shock.

* * *

"Mom, I have to pee," Henrik said beside her. They sat on one of the many couches they had in this apartment among her friends. Henrik looked tired. Elijah had brought him some juice boxes earlier that night and he had swept them down before Caroline had the chance to tell him to take it easy.

She gave him a small smile, "Okay. Let's find you a bathroom," They should be heading home anyway, it was getting late. Caroline looked up at Katherine who was sitting on a white love seat next to Elijah. She was showing off a pair of earrings to Elena who was sitting next to them on a stool. Stefan stood beside her with his arm over her shoulders as he was pretending to be very interested in Katherine's new jewelry.

Caroline took Henrik's hand, she stood up and walked them over to where they were sitting, "I'm sorry, Katherine, where is your bathroom?"

Katherine turned her head slowly to the pair standing before her, "Right, I completely forgot to bring the potty, I'm sorry, but try asking at the dog boarding place down the street. I believe they have one."

"Seriously?" This was Katherine, but drunk Katherine. Sober Katherine is slightly less meaner. _Slightly_. Caroline opened her mouth again to scold at Katherine, she could make fun of Caroline all she want but not when it came to Henrik.

Before she could say anything more Elijah spoke, "It's in the hallway, the last door on the left."

Caroline gave him a smile, "Thank you," He nodded apologetic in response.

She kept Henrik's hand in hers as they walked past the guests. It seemed like more people had arrived to the party, she could barely get them through the crowd as she made their way to the bathroom. People were standing around them, drinking wine and talking loudly. Eventually they reached the hallway and found what they were looking for.

"Head inside, I'll wait out here and when you're done we will go home, okay?" Henrik nodded tiredly and went inside the bathroom.

"Wow, mom, we have to get a bathtub like this."

She smiled. She couldn't even imagine how the bathtub looked like, everything in this place amazed her but what amazed her more was that Katherine was dating Elijah. Klaus' brother. They seemed so different on so many levels.

Elijah the sophisticated and respectful man she had only met twice but he already felt like a trustworthy friend to her. And Katherine... Well. She's Katherine.

She stood there in silent, with her left shoulder pressed to the wall and her back against the party that was still going on at the end of the hallway when her thoughts was interrupted abruptly.

"You look ravishing."

She felt her heart stop beating.

_Oh no._

This can't be happening.

Caroline knew that voice. She had heard so many times before. When she would wake up every morning with strong arms holding her. When she was finishing off at work and would feel his lips on her neck and his voice whispering words in her ear. _That voice_. She would recognize it everywhere because it was only one person she knew who spoke like that.

Who spoke his words so smooth and yet harsh with a British accent.

A lump in her throat was forming and getting bigger and bigger by the second. She was going to throw up. She was sure of it. Caroline could feel her lunch coming up from her stomach.

_No!_ She thought and took a deep breath. She swelled her lump and turned around to face him.

And there he was. The same dark blonde curls and his necklaces around his neck with a smug smile on his face. She wanted nothing more than to punch it.

"But then again, you always do."

* * *

**Wow this chapter turned out much longer than I had intended it to be! I hoped you liked it and managed to get through it all.  
****If there's anything you don't understand, or just something you want to know, you're welcome to just ask. Your feedback is important to me!**


	4. Chapter 4: Klaus

**Wow! Once again, thanks for everyone who have reviewed, favorited and followed this story! **

**Enjoy.**

* * *

Klaus walked into the apartment, he knew a party was going on so he didn't bother to knock, not like he would have done it otherwise. It was close to midnight and it seemed like people wouldn't be leaving any time soon. He wished his apartment was ready to move into so he could leave this place. Klaus had been living in his brother's and leech for a girlfriend's apartment for two days now and he was already thinking about jumping from his balcony to save him all the agony he was going through by talking, or even seeing the parasite. _One more week, Niklaus, you can do this. _He thought to himself as he pushed people away to make a path to the bar.

As he made his way to the bar he noticed a bottle of bourbon. _His bourbon_. But it was barely there. The bottle was less than half empty. Klaus had been very specific to Katherine that she was not to touch his liquor. Of course she hadn't listened, and he would not let her get away with it either.

He took the remains of the liquid and poured the dash of what was left into a glass before he sat down on one of the bar stools and turned his head to skim through the dancing crowd before him. Klaus spotted his brother on the far end of the room, he was sitting down with his girlfriend who was clinging onto him. They were both in a deep conversation with a brunette replica of Katherine, her sister, Klaus comprehended. What was her name?

Erica?

Erin?

No...

Elena, of course!

Elena who he had met once before. A long time ago, he had almost forgotten all about her if it wasn't for Elijah who one day decided to come home with a girl who looked exactly like her, only this one was called Katherine.

Klaus came to the conclusion rather quickly that Elena and Katherine were not the same person (as he had first suspected), but related to one another, as she had told him about her two and a half minutes younger twin sister, Elena.

Despite the fact that they were identical to each other, they were nothing alike. Klaus had remembered Elena as a sweet and hardworking girl who had a great love for her friends and family, whereas Katherine didn't really care about anyone but herself (and sometimes Elijah, but that was something Klaus choose to ignore). Because of Katherine's self-centered ego, Klaus had decided to instantly dislike her. His brother had gotten feelings so rapidly for this girl and he overlooked every bad thing that Klaus seemed to notice about her. Klaus knew why his brother saw through every flaw of his girlfriend. Klaus knew he was in love but he refused to believe in it. After all, love is only weakness and it makes you powerless. That was something he had learned a long time ago.

Klaus had only met Katherine a few weeks ago, whilst Elijah had been dating her for barely six months, yet they had so hastily decided to move in together. This was a reason why Klaus felt that Katherine was distrustful towards his brother and family. He didn't trust Katherine at all, she only seemed to be after their money. But Klaus never trusted anyone that wasn't family. Elijah liked to remind him of this every time he would be suspicious towards his girl.

So Elijah and Katherine had decided to move to New York, Katherine had wanted to be close to her sister, and of course Klaus and the rest of the Mikaelson siblings had been persuaded into moving there with them. After all, it was family above all else and they always stuck together, no matter what. Always and forever. Even if they had to return to the same place he had once fled with panic to save himself and his beloved family.

He had planned on coming back, but things were getting worse and he was afraid of hurting someone else if he had returned.

But today he was a free man, at least for now. He didn't feel the need to worry about running anymore, but he always kept a glance over his shoulder. He hadn't had a chance to live his life for the past ten years. But now he was back and ready to start over.

His mind returned back to reality when his eyes caught on familiar blonde locks walking by._ Was it? No, that's not possible. How could it be?_ He hadn't seen her in over a decade, but still that body and those locks looked so familiar to him.

Klaus poured the last drops of his glass into his mouth before he placed it back on the bar and stood up. He paced the same way as the girl had went. Past the over talkative and clearly drunk guests.

He reached a hallway and that's when he saw her. Leaning against the wall with a stunning dress on that showed off every bit of her curves that he once so gently had touched over and over again.

He walked up to her and convinced himself that it really was her before he spoke, "You look ravishing," He put on his best smile and looked her over as she turned around to face him. "But then again, you always do."

He had never in over ten years forgotten how perfectly flawless her face was. But the way that she looked at him made him feel a bit unease for the first time in a woman's presence. She looked shocked, but also angry, like she could punch him or scream any minute.

"N-Klaus," She stammered and before she kept talking she cleared her throat, "What are you doing here?"

"Well, it's my brother's party, you know that, right, _love_?" He smiled when he saw the reaction she gave him after he said his nickname for her. She looked more angry that she had before, but not like she would punch him. She looked annoyed with him, "Unless you just crashed a random party."

"I meant, what are you doing here, as in New York?" Suddenly she received all the confident that she didn't have a minute ago. Klaus wasn't allowed to just show up and ruin her night and he definitely was not allowed to act like he was the upper hand in this conversation.

"I'm back," Klaus said.

"Well... Welcome back. Now if you don't mind I would rather not talk to you so please leave."

But he didn't leave. Instead he took a step closer to her and said, "Is the bathroom occupied? You know, I could just take you to the one in my room," He smiled.

Her eyes grew bigger the more she realized what he was implying, "What?!" She couldn't believe this. He's gone for ten years and then he shows up out of nowhere and two minutes later he expects her to willingly be following him into his room. How crazy was he? "No! I'm just waiting on Hen–," She quickly closed her mouth as she realized what she was about to say. _Oh god_, Henrik is in the bathroom and his father is standing right outside of it. What was she going to do, should she just introduce him to Henrik, _Hello, Klaus, meet Henrik, Your son. Goodbye, _or should she pretend like Henrik and Klaus isn't related at all? She could make up a story of how she met someone after Klaus had left, but Henrik would start to question that. Maybe, if she ran fast enough she would make it out of the apartment without Klaus noticing Henrik. She hoped for the best even though she knew this wouldn't end well. "I'm waiting on someone." She said rapidly.

"Who?" Klaus asked out with only one memory on his mind.

"_Klaus, she has moved on and there is nothing you could do about it, okay? Caroline has forgotten all about the two of you. I think you should too."_

"It doesn't matter, the only think that–" The bathroom door opened before Caroline could finish. A young boy was running out of the bathroom and up to Caroline.

"Mom, look, you need to see this!"

"No, not now Henrik. We have to go," Caroline said and looked down at the boy.

"But_, mom!"_

_Mom? Caroline was a mother?_ Klaus looked down at the young boy. He had short, dark blonde hair and his eyes were both green and blue. Klaus was sure he had seen him once before.

"Who is this?" Klaus gestured towards Henrik and looked back up on Caroline. She returned the gaze but didn't answer. The guilty look in her eyes said it all, "How old is he, Caroline?" Klaus was beginning to understand. The boy looked to be around 10 years old. Could he be his...?

No, Caroline would never keep something like this from him. She knew herself how it was to grow up without a father, she wouldn't let her own child go through it too. Klaus watched as Caroline reached for the boy's hand and began walking down the hallway. "_Caroline!_ How old is he?" Klaus wouldn't let them go without an answer. He was certain Caroline knew what exactly he wanted to know but instead of facing the truth, she had chosen to run away.

"_CAROLINE!_"

The boy stopped his mother and turned around to face the mysterious man behind them, "I'm eleven, why?!"

"He's eleven?" Klaus was stunned by the young boy. His eyes began to water as he stuttered out, "_I-Is he mine?_"

Caroline couldn't look up at Klaus, she kept her eyes on Henrik who couldn't look any more confused. He looked up from his father to her, and she could feel her eyes burning from the tears. She let go of his hand and put her own hands on either side of her son's cheeks. Caroline could feel his dark blonde locks on her fingertips, the same dark blonde locks as Klaus had, she spoke softly to Henrik, "Yes...yes he is."

* * *

She had stormed off a second later. She had stormed of with her son, her son who also was his son. Klaus was still in confusion. How could this be? He was a father. Niklaus Mikaelson was a father, but an unknowingly absent one, much like is own real father who he had never met. He didn't want to be like that. A father who didn't care about his own blood. He wanted to be there for his son, and the mother. Support them and take care of them. Not like Mikael had. He never cared for Klaus and he always treated him like an abomination for the family.

When Klaus was young he made a promise to himself to never turn out like Mikael. He didn't want his own children to suffer like he had. But now he couldn't help but wonder if he had made his own child suffer, by not being present in his life. Had he made Caroline suffer? He never should have left Caroline all those years ago. He should have stayed and raised their son together. He had to acquit himself, for his family.

Klaus laid awake in bed. He hadn't been able to sleep for days, all he could think about was his son, and Caroline. Henrik...That was his name. Had Caroline thought of his little brother when she named him? If that was so, he was forever grateful towards her. Henrik had died many years ago and Klaus missed him deeply. He had been the only light in his life until he met Caroline and his death caused him so much pain. So to have his own son named Henrik was a blessing.

He heard noises coming from the kitchen. He was sure it was Elijah who was up this early. Klaus sat up in the bed, he had to ask his brother for advice. His older brother had always been the wiser one in their family. If anyone knew what someone should do in a situation like this, It was Elijah. He stood up and walked out of his room. He was already dressed since he hadn't bother to get undress last night. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep either way.

"Brother, I need your help," But when he entered it wasn't Elijah who was standing in the kitchen. It was Katherine. She was wearing one of Elijah's shirts and poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Sorry, Klaus, your brother is still in bed. I think I wore him out last night," She said with a smile.

"Oh, it's you."

Katherine rolled her eyes clear enough for Klaus to notice, "You do know I have a name right? It's Katherine and not bloodsucking bitch or whatever it is that you call me."

"I have called you a lot of names, sweetheart, but I have never called you a bloodsucking bitch, you're far worse than that," Klaus said.

Katherine gave him an annoyed smile in response.

Perhaps he could ask Katherine for help. He already knew that Caroline was friends with Elena. So Katherine must know where she lives, or at least her number. But he knew what Katherine's answer would be if he asked her for it, despite that, he had to give it a shot.

"_Katherine_," He said her real name for the first time since he had met her, trying to sound attentive. "I need your help with–"

"No," Katherine said.

"You didn't let me finish!"

"I know, but I'm still not going to help you," She took a sip from her coffee.

"And why is that, sweetheart?"

"You have treated me like nothing but a bug since the day that I met you!"

"Let bygones be bygones," Klaus said.

Katherine only scoffed in response. "Katherine, I need to find Caroline," He asked sincerely "Can you give me her number, or address?"

"I can't do that," Katherine said without even considering it. She knew Klaus was going to question that so she went on, "firstly, because I don't have her number or her address, and secondly, Elena would hate me if I gave it to you and last but not least, Caroline, would kill me," She looked up from her coffee cup with a serious expression on her face but when she saw Klaus' face she suddenly changed her mind. He looked upset, like _really_ upset. The party on saturday had been quite dramatic, she had to admit. Klaus had been blue ever since the incident between him and Caroline. Her sister nor her friends had been trying to reach them since, _didn't Klaus deserve a shot with his son? _At least Katherine knew she would get rid of him and his annoyance for a while if she helped him. And maybe if she did, he would finally try to accept her and her relationship with his brother. Yes, today, Katherine Pierce was going to be a good person. Not just for herself but for others."There is something I could give you..." Klaus looked at her hopefully. "Her job address?"

Klaus gave her the most genuine smile she have ever seen him wear.

* * *

She felt how her knees had gone numb. They had given up on her a while ago but she didn't care.

She. Had. To. Get. That. Spot. Off. Her. Floor.

Caroline was currently sitting under her desk trying to scrub away a coffee spot. The spot wasn't that big, not much bigger than her palm. But she hadn't been able to take her eyes off it all day. It was like it was there, just staring back at her and demanding her to cleanse it out. So she had gone to the cleaning inventory on the bottom floor to get some tools and in the last few hours she had managed to clean her entire desk and the floor surrounding it. Except from that spot that refused to go away!

She was too busy paying all her attention to that small brown spot that she wasn't aware of the man standing next to her calling her name. "_Caaaaroline_?"

She suddenly heard her name and turned around to see who her caller was. It was Josh, her colleague. He was the first person who she befriended at her job and even though they didn't spend much time together outside of work, Caroline considered him as one of her closest friends from work.

"Oh, Josh, hi! " She put a smile on her face and looked up at Josh. He had his jacket on and his messenger bag over his shoulder. She looked up at her desk and saw that she had finished work for twenty minutes ago.

"Hey, I've been standing here for a while... Are you cleaning the floor?" He asked confused.

"Sorry, I guess I didn't hear you," Caroline said and looked down at her hands that she held in her lap. Her washing gloves were all white from the detergent and she could feel the former hot but now cold water soaking her wrinkled fingers.

"Yeah, too busy scrubbing the floor, I see. You do know we have a staff that do that every morning?

"Yeah, but you know, all those stressogens. I'm stress-cleaning," Caroline turned her gaze towards Josh again, "I'm stressed. So I'm cleaning."

"Ah, I know exactly what you mean. All the NYFW arrangements is really stressing me out too."

Caroline nodded and smiled. _Oh, he couldn't be anymore wrong_. It wasn't the upcoming fashion week that was straining her. It was boy drama, or You-Just-Met-The-Father-Of-Your-Child-After-Eleven-Years-Drama.

"Well, I should probably finish this off and head home," Caroline stood up and pulled off her gloves to put them on her desk.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow. Maybe we could go out for lunch?"

"Sure, sounds like fun," She gave him one last smile and watched as he turned and went for the elevator. She gathered up her things in her satchel. Keys. Phone. Calendar.

She put on her black coat and tied her green scarf around her neck. When she reached for her bag she couldn't help but notice the picture on her desk. It was a picture of her and Henrik on his eleventh birthday. They had taken the subway to Coney Island to visit the amusment park. The picture was taken on top of the Wonder Wheel, they both were smiling big.

She missed that smile on him. Ever since saturday he had been mad at her, he didn't want to talk to her or listen to what she had to say about the whole situation. Of course she understood that, but she didn't know what to do about it. He wanted to meet his father, and Caroline knew she had to let him do it eventually. She tore her gaze of the picture and headed for the elevator. She stepped in and clicked to bottom that said Ground Floor.

Should she call him? Tell him that his son wants to be with him?

But what if Klaus didn't want anything to do with him. She couldn't let her son go through that. She refused to let him go through that.

When she stepped out of the elevator she forced herself to think of other things. Like what were they going to eat for dinner. Maybe she could try to make soup, or lasagna. Caroline loved discovering new recipes, it was too bad that she wasn't that good at cooking them. Maybe chinese takeout would do.

She reached the sidewalk outside of the buildings entrance and turned to the right towards the subway, but she didn't come far before she stopped dead in her tracks. Against the wall stood the one person her mind haven't been able to escape.

"Klaus."

He looked dazed with a glint in his eyes, "Hello, Caroline."

She quickly turned the other way and began walking away from him. Her destination: As far away as possible. Caroline was near to walk right into a few people on her way, but she had to get away from him. Fast. She couldn't do this. Not now. It had only been three days since she last saw him and as if that encounter hadn't been bad enough, she wasn't ready to face another one. She didn't come far before he managed to reach her, "Caroline, please, Let us have a normal conversation without you storming off."

She didn't stop. She didn't look at him. She just kept walking.

"Caroline."

"_Caroline._" She stopped and turn to the side to face him but she didn't say anything. He looked at her, "I just want to talk."

* * *

Thirteen.

Fourteen.

Fifteen.

Caroline stared out of the window in the small coffee shop. She could feel Klaus' gaze on her, she had felt it on her ever since they had ordered their drinks.

Sixteen.

She was counting the amount of yellow cars that drove past them on the street. She would do anything just to avoid looking at him. At this moment she felt nothing but hate towards him and if she actually turned to face him she was afraid she would slap him across the cheek. She had wanted to do that in such a long time and every time he would smile that foolish grin to her he was tempting her to actually do it.

Caroline had agreed to talk to him. He had suggested they should sit down and do it over a cup of coffee, much to her dismay, she would rather have talked right there on the street though she knew that this was probably for the best. They had a serious discussion a head of them.

Eventually she had enough of the silent and turned her head to face him,"You wanted to talk, so talk."

"I want to talk about Henrik." Klaus said, "My son... _our _son."

"Yes, biologically speaking, he's your son, but he's not _your_ son, Klaus, and definitely not our son. Henrik's _my_ son." Caroline felt everything she had kept inside of her coming out all at once, "My son that I have raised on my own because you left me–" She didn't get to finish when the waitress arrived with their drinks. She placed two cups of steaming hot and black liquid in front of Klaus and Caroline.

"There you go, two cups of coffee. Could I get you anything else?" She smiled at them, dismissing the two frustrated faces that looked up at her.

"No, thank you," Klaus said and she walked away to take her next order. He waited until they were completely alone again in the corner of the shop before he said, "I understand this might be hard for you. My intentions are not to hurt you or Henrik. I just... want to be there, for the both of you. _Please, Caroline. _Take a chance on me."

Caroline stared at him for a while, "You want a part of our life?"

"Yes."

"I'm going to be honest with you," She said. "I don't want anything to do with you and I hate you for leaving me, even if it was for more then ten years ago I haven't been able to stop hating you. Every time Henrik has asked me about you I only hated you more. Because you weren't there. You weren't there for him, and you weren't there for me. But even if I still hate you above everything else and even if I want you gone, I can't keep you away from him. He wants you to be a part of his life as well. So I'm going to let you be a part of our life, but that doesn't mean I won't stop hating you, okay?"

Klaus stared at her, "I see."

"No, you don't, because if you choose to be a part of this now you'll never get out, it's all or nothing, Klaus, you'll be Henrik's father for the rest of your life. No more lies and no more disappearing to the end of the earth."

"Caroline, I will never leave ever again. I'm here, and I'm going to stay, I promise."

"Okay... Good," She breathed out. Caroline didn't trust him but she had to learn how to deal with him for Henrik. "You're going to be the best dad Henrik has ever wanted," she demanded, "I don't want him to get disappointed."

"He won't," Klaus answered rapidly. He had already decided that. "When will I met him?"

Caroline began gathering up her stuff. "Maybe Sunday? Henrik and I usually eat a big breakfast and then we head outside, to a museum or Central Park." She stood up and put her coat on, "Henrik wants to visit the Brooklyn Museum this weekend." She grabbed a pen from her bag and bent down to write her address on her unused napkin. She gave it to Klaus who silently accepted it. She turned around and began walking towards the exit but stopped and walked back towards Klaus who was still sitting at the same place watching her, "And you'll bring breakfast." Klaus had his head bent down as he nodded at her. She turned back around and told herself that she was going to have the upper hand in this new "family".

* * *

**I really hope you liked it! I will write more about the Mikaelson family in future chapters so if some stuff doesn't make any sense now, it probably will later. **

**Don't forget to review!**


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